LOL! Thanks Johnmerr. I had a small ornamental pear in a former yard and it was a very pretty tree but this one may be sharing too many pests with my citrus. I would take it out in a heartbeat if I knew it would reduce the number of scale bugs on other trees in my yard. The good news is that I hear ornamental pear is great BBQ wood! I'm not quite sure how to handle my scale bug infections since they seem to be active during my hot season and I'm afraid to use the oil products then. I personally think my hard-packed anaerobic soil is stressing my trees and there isn't a lot I can do about that except to dig huge holes for future plantings and replace the soil with a more sandy loam.

My understanding is that Bath Stone is a Limestone mined in Bath England. One cheap and it wont hurt to try option. Take some baking soda and mix it with a small amount of water to make a thick paste (a poultice) and spread it thick on a test section on the level section of the ledge. I would just try a quarter size dot in the middle of a dark section. Candles have oil in them, as the poultice drys it will pull the oils out. Leave it alone for a day to ensure it is dry all the way. When it is fully dry, brush it off. Is the stone lighter in that spot than the surrounding area? If so, do it all over the stain, you might need to repeat a number of times and it might never be the same but it might help. Another option after trying that. Wet the stone next to the stain. Does that help to blend in the wax stain? If so, buy a bottle of mineral oil from the pharmacy and rub that into the stone. That is how you maintain stone kitchen counters.

Hello All! I realize that this was fifteen years ago. But if there is anything new, please let me know. I am having the same issue. I did the flooring myself and did undercut. But the carpet was pretty much attached to the bottom of the hearth and much cement came right out when I was ripping out the carpet. My LVP sits much lower than the carpet did as well. My Fireplace installer has passed away, so I cannot ask him. I’ve been researching grout, but am afraid that I cannot match the original color and it would not adhere properly. Could the original poster, please send me photos, if available? Look me up on Facebook please? Lisa Dachel West. And send me a pm? thank you!

Hi Kathrine. It seems like you are well on your way to a solution already, but I would like to clear some of the fog. First, I would like to address oil and wax finishes. Although they do produce a decent finish, they take forever to cure, they will need to be renewed eventually, and they offer little to no protection (when compared to a film finish). In a kitchen, durability is usually the big concern and pure tung oil simply doesnt have a place there. Now if you have a nice antique hall table that you dont mind babying, tung oil and wax could be a good choice. But with the amazing array of beautiful finish options available today, its hard to believe tung oil (and boiled linseed oil), still find their way into our homes. That being said, I am glad you went with the Waterlox. Despite the incorrect information Minwax gave you, Waterlox is not all that different from a wiping polyurethane. Waterlox actually contains little to no tung oil at all. It does, however, contain a resin that is derived from oil and is a close relative to polyurethane. Many woodworkers like this particular resin better because it is less "plastic-looking" than standard polyurethane. So what you have actually done is exactly what I would have recommended: you top-coated your tung oiled surface with a wiping varnish. This varnish will give your cabinets the protection they need from oil, grease, heat, water, and cleaning agents. A level of protection that tung oil cannot provide. And one note to the folks who were discussing "food-safe" finishes. Nearly all film finishes are food safe once cured. If you are a bit skeptical, there are FDA-approved varnishes available (usually labelled salad bowl finish), that will offer much more protection and durability than oil and wax. I apologize for the blitz of information. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away. Marc